Carbamazepine
Medication
anticonvulsant
other
Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.
How to use
What it’s for
SG label: epilepsy, bipolar disorder, nerve pain in the face
When to take
HealthHub: after food helps · full effect can take weeks
Take with
SG label: a little liquid, during or after meals
Pros & cons
Pros
- SG label: used alone or alongside other epilepsy drugs
- HealthHub: cr tablets release the drug slowly
- SG label: trigeminal neuralgia is on the label too
Cons
- HealthHub: HSA requires hla-b*1502 testing in asians
- NHS: rash and mouth ulcers can mean stevens-johnson
- HealthHub: it can make hormonal contraception fail
Sources
- HSA — Listing of Registered Therapeutic Products (data.gov.sg dataset d_767279312753558cbf19d48344577084), Forensicclassification column; all 5,511 rows cached at /tmp/hsa_all.json and filtered locally (never re-fetched), 6 carbamazepine rows, 27 Aug 2026 · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“TEGRETOL 200 SIN00352P, TEGRETOL CR 200 SIN02387P, TEGRETOL CR 400 SIN02388P, Tegretol Oral Suspension 2% SIN00510P, APO-CARBAMAZEPINE SIN05735P and STORILAT 200 SIN05583P — all six rows read "Prescription Only", ATC N03AF01”
- MOH National Drug Formulary — TEGRETOL 200 TABLET 200 MG [SIN00352P], Indications (SG package insert) · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“Epilepsy – Complex or simple partial seizures … Generalized tonic-clonic seizures … Tegretol is suitable for both monotherapy and combination therapy. Acute mania and maintenance treatment of bipolar affective disorders … Idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia”
- MOH National Drug Formulary — TEGRETOL 200 [SIN00352P], Dosage regimen and administration (adults, epilepsy) · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“Initially, 100 to 200 mg once or twice daily; the dosage should be slowly raised until … an optimum response is obtained. In some patients 1,600 mg or even 2,000 mg daily may be appropriate.”
- MOH National Drug Formulary — TEGRETOL 200 [SIN00352P], maximum recommended dose statements · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“However, the maximum daily dose of oral suspension is limited to 1,200 mg … Maximum recommended dose is 1,200 mg/day … >15 years of age: 1,200 mg/day.”
- MOH National Drug Formulary — TEGRETOL 200 [SIN00352P], method of administration · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“The tablets and the oral suspension (to be shaken before use) may be taken during, after, or between meals. Tablets should be taken with a little liquid.”
- MOH National Drug Formulary — TEGRETOL 200 [SIN00352P], Product information block · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“CARBAMAZEPINE - 200 MG · Forensic Classification: PRESCRIPTION ONLY MEDICINES · Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) code N03AF01 · Licence Holder NOVARTIS (SINGAPORE) PTE LTD”
- MOH National Drug Formulary — TEGRETOL 200 [SIN00352P], Contraindications · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“Patients with atrioventricular block. Patients with a history of bone-marrow depression. Patients with a history of hepatic porphyrias … contraindicated in combination with monoamine-oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) … Neonates below 4 weeks of age”
- HealthHub (National Medication Information workgroup / Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore) — Carbamazepine: what is this medication for · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“Carbamazepine is used to control some types of seizures … also … as a mood stabilizer to help reduce mood swings in a condition known as bipolar disorder … trigeminal neuralgia … nerve pain at the face area.”
- HealthHub — Carbamazepine: how should I take or use this medication · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“To reduce stomach upset, you can take this medication after food … These tablets are specially designed to release the medication slowly … it may take up to a few weeks before this medication can work fully.”
- HealthHub — Carbamazepine: what precautions should I take · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“According to the Health Science Authority (HSA) regulation, it is compulsory for all Asian patients who are first prescribed with carbamazepine to be tested for the specific gene (HLA-B*1502) … Liver problems; Kidney problems; Heart problems; Blood related diseases”
- HealthHub — Carbamazepine: what food or medication should I avoid · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“Carbamazepine may decrease the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives … Antibiotics such as erythromycin and clarithromycin should not be taken with carbamazepine … Avoid eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice”
- NHS medicines A–Z — Carbamazepine (Tegretol), reviewed 6 August 2026 · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“Carbamazepine is an anti-seizure medicine used to treat epilepsy. It's also used to help nerve pain and bipolar disorder. It's only available with a prescription.”
- NHS medicines A–Z — Carbamazepine: side effects · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“Common side effects of carbamazepine include: dizziness; tiredness; dry mouth; changes to your coordination, balance and speech … an itchy or painful rash, mouth ulcers or blisters and trouble breathing – this could be a sign of Stevens-Johnson syndrome”
- NHS medicines A–Z — Carbamazepine: taking carbamazepine with other medicines, food and drink · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“some types of hormonal contraception … HRT (hormone replacement therapy) medicines; aripiprazole … warfarin and some other medicines to help prevent blood clots … Do not drink grapefruit juice or eat grapefruit while taking carbamazepine”
- NHS medicines A–Z — Carbamazepine: pregnancy · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“If you're taking carbamazepine and are planning a pregnancy or you get pregnant, tell your doctor immediately. If you need to take carbamazepine for epilepsy, you must use reliable contraception to avoid getting pregnant.”
Updated 2026-08-29. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.